Fiberglass is extensively used as heat insulation for the roof and wall structures of residential and industrial buildings as well as other structures and objects. Fiberglass blankets usually are easy to install and provide an economical and effective insulating barrier to retard the transfer of heat through the roof and wall structures of buildings and through the walls of conduits and other structures used to contain hot or cold materials. Some of the conventional fiberglass heat insulating materials are elongated blankets of uniform width and thickness, with a sheet of vapor impervious material adhesively secured to one side surface of the blanket. The laminated blankets are formed in a continuous process by the compression together of the fiberglass blanket and an adhesively coated surface of the sheet of backing material. Such a method is an economical and an efficient means of forming conventional fiberglass insulating materials.
However, the handling of the fiberglass blanket in this production process causes several problems. Perhaps the most annoying problem is associated with the compressing and bending of the fiberglass blanket which creates small broken fiberglass particles. As the fiberglass blanket is handled, these fiberglass particles are dislocated into the air of the work environment, creating a serious health hazard to workers. Once in the air, the fiberglass particles can be inhaled, possibly damaging the lungs of the workers. Particles of a size within a range of three to ten microns can become lodged in the workers lungs and bronchial tubes, causing damages to the cell structure of the lungs and leading to respiratory ailments. Additionally, when the glass fibers come into contact with the eyes and skin of the workers, they tend to cause blurred vision and small cuts and abrasions that can cause extreme irritation and discomfort.
A second problem caused by the compression and bending of a fiberglass blanket when applying the vapor barrier material to the blanket is a loss of heat insulation capabilities of the fiberglass blanket. When the fiberglass blanket is compressed it is reduced in size, and the volume of the air spaces previously formed within the blanket, which trap dead air and enable the insulation material to retard the transfer of heat, are also reduced in size. As a result of the reduction in size of the air pockets, the heat insulation properties of the fiberglass blanket are reduced.
Accordingly, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide an efficient and inexpensive method and apparatus for forming a laminated fiberglass heat insulating blanket with a vapor barrier backing sheet, which substantially reduces the presence of loose, broken particles of fiberglass in the insulating material, and minimizes the loss of heat insulating capabilities due to the mechanical compression of the fiberglass blanket of the insulating material.